Caught on Camera

Sometimes, even when a picture doesn't come out perfectly sharp and in focus, you capture a moment that speaks volumes.

Like when I snapped this picture:

Rowan had just said he'd love to try a ride at the amusement park. Brave boy!

As he inched his way up on the ride, he even had a smile on his face.

Then the "exciting" part of the ride began. A brief free-fall from the top of the ride! Fun, right?

Kyle sure thinks it's fun.

But Rowan?

Not so much.

Not at all, really.

But don't feel too sorry for him. To make up for his less-than-stellar ride experience, we took him to the splash park.

Where he smiled plenty.

Definitely Brothers

Rowan, about 6 months old

Miles, about 6 months old

My Boys at Eight Weeks

Rowan, Eight Weeks


Miles, Eight Weeks

(It's subtle, but you can definitely see that Miles takes up more space in the bouncy seat.)

In addition to the comparison shots, I am still taking weekly pictures of Miles with his little signs. We've had a great couple of weeks! He's smiling, cooing and napping like a champ. (He got a swing for Christmas! Hmmm... Was it a present for me or for him?)

Rowan is enjoying his brother more now that he's become more interactive. Today, when I told him to give his brother some space, he said, "But I can't stay away from him because he's sooooooo sweet!"

Hard to argue with that, isn't it?

Five Weeks Old

Mr. Miles' fifth week brought a huge reward - his first real smiles! So adorable. This kid is becoming more babylicious each and every day.

I'd love to know how much he weighs right now, but it's not worth bringing him to the clinic during cold and flu season to find out. A very unscientific measurement on our home scale (I weighed myself alone, then holding him) suggested that he could be in the neighborhood of 13-14 pounds!

He is solidly in 3-6 month clothing now, although he can still squeeze into a few of his larger 0-3 month outfits. If he keeps growing at this pace, I will completely lose the advantage of having two boys born in the same season. Rowan's summer clothing simply might not fit his big little brother. We shall see...

We started introducing a daily bottle of expressed breastmilk to miles this week. Rowan wouldn't take a bottle, and we were determined not to have that happen again, if at all possible. (I'm going back to work part-time when Miles is 3 months old.) So far, so good!

Even Rowan got a chance to feed his little brother. (Is it just me, or does seeing them together only serve to highlight Miles' hugeness?)

Speaking of Rowan... we had a hard week last week. I don't know if it was cabin fever, sibling rivalry or impending Christmas craziness (or all of the above), but the whining reached a whole new level. Ugh.

I'm trying to cut him some slack, since we've experienced a lot of changes over the past month. Still, there's nothing more frustrating than attempting to eat dinner while bouncing a fussy baby and listening to your preschooler complain about everything under the sun. Here's hoping this week is better. Rowan's Christmas break is coming up, and I'd really like to enter that time with some good days under our belts! Pretty please?

Made-for-TV Moment

Sometimes your kids say things that melt your heart... Or make you wonder if they've been rehearsing for a Hallmark Hall of Fame made-for-TV special. Such was the case last week, when Kyle and Rowan shared this little moment:

Kyle: "I love you, buddy."

Rowan: "I already know that, Daddy."

Kyle: "How do you know that? You didn't even think about it."

Rowan: "I know because I don't have to think about it."

Wow.

(Naturally, I couldn't help but play the part of the mom whose eyes filled with tears.)

It's the Thought That Counts

Last week, Rowan handed Kyle this little piece of blue fuzz and said, "Daddy, I found this in my my pocket at naptime. I was going to throw it away, but then I noticed it was your favorite color. So I kept it for you."

Pretty sweet, huh?

(P.S. Kyle: Please do not let this kid pick out my Christmas presents!)

Two Weeks Old

Little Mister Miles is two weeks old today. His second week proved bittersweet, as I was already forced to pull many of his little gowns and sleepers out of the rotation because they're too small. [Sigh]

I do love his chubby cheeks and roly poly legs, though. And I think that having a bigger baby carries some significant advantages. Miles seems more "finished" than Rowan did as a newborn (if that makes sense). He has no trouble eating, he has a fairly predictable wake and sleep schedule and he seems quite sturdy when I handle him. Still, I will admit that it's a bit heartbraking to watch my baby grow out of everything so rapidly!

Miles continues to be a fairly easy baby...so far. (He had a rather fussy evening today, so I'm wondering about the days ahead...)

He generally wakes up between 7:30 and 8 a.m. and has a nice, long alert period (lasting about two hours). When Miles first wakes up, Kyle and Rowan talk to him while I shower and get ready for the day.

Between 9:30 and 10, he nurses and sleeps until his next alert period in the evening (waking every couple of hours to nurse and have his diaper changed). Sometimes he wakes up fussy for a little while during the day because of a gas bubble or because he has to poop. But generally, he's a sleepy guy in the middle of the day.

His evening alert time usually happens around dinnertime. Again, it lasts about two hours. (This is when he was fussy this evening.) Then we get him into his pajamas, swaddle him up, and he's a sleepy guy all night (again waking every couple of hours to nurse and have his diaper changed).

Rowan is adjusting well to being a big brother, but I can tell that it's been a major change for him. Whenever I take pictures of Miles, Rowan suggests (or should I say demands) that he be in some pictures, too. I happily oblige, always eager to snap more pics of them together.

And then, of course, he suggests (or should I say demands) that he be in some pictures all by himself. Once again, I oblige. After all, he's pretty darn cute, too.

Wrangling a newborn and a 5-year-old certainly has us on our toes, but we're surviving...and having lots of fun along the way!

First Snow!

Nothing says "first snow of the season" like...

...an ecstatic 5-year-old trudging through the backyard slush...

...or a precious little newborn donning his "Baby's First Snow" romper...


...or a giant tree branch crashing down inches in front of the car we paid off the day before.

Ah, another Minnesota winter has begun.

Thankfully, nothing was damaged and no one was hurt!

One Week Old

Today, Miles is one week old! Strangely enough, this little guy has both turned our world upside down and woven himself effortlessly into our family life.

So far ― and I hate to say this for fear of jinxing myself ― he's been a relatively easy baby. He nurses well. He has two or three predictable alert periods during the day. And he generally sleeps for two to three hours at a time at night between feedings. When Miles has had a few short crying spells at night, Rowan has remained blissfully asleep in his room. So far, so good!

But I won't celebrate (or gloat) quite yet, because I seem to remember two weeks being a bit of a "who stole my perfect baby and replaced him with this fussy thing" turningpoint for Rowan. We'll see...

Right now, I'm just trying to soak up every newborn moment. Watching his sleepy smiles and laughs. Feeling his hot, swift breaths on my neck. Rubbing my nose in his wispy hair. Kissing his chubby little cheeks. I can't get enough of him!

He's already changing so much. He seems to see really well, has impressive neck control and shows interest in his hands. We've even seen several awake smiles (which I realize is probably a total fluke, but it sure seems real to us)!

All of the pediatricians who examined Miles after the birth (and I gave birth at a teaching hospital, so there were many) commented that he seemed older than a newborn. And then the pediatrician at his one-week visit said the same thing! I'm not sure whether to feel proud because he's so strong and alert or start crying because his newborn phase feels cut short.

Rowan has been adjusting well to his new role as big brother. In fact, he almost always refers to Miles as "my brother." "My brother wants to nurse, Mama" "My brother is sooooo cute." "Do you think my brother's favorite color is red?" "Why does my brother's umbilical cord stump stink?" "Will you make sure that my brother doesn't spit up on my Halloween candy?"

Watching Rowan assume the role of big brother has been one of the most moving experiences I've had as a mom. I feel amazingly blessed to have two healthy and (in my totally biased view) adorable and brilliant boys.

I may be the only girl in this house, but that's perfectly OK with me. I wouldn't trade my guys for anything in the world.

Not a Rowan Repeat

Rowan Brand New (6 pounds, 12.5 ounces)


Miles Brand New (9 pounds, 6.8 ounces)

Rowan's First Bath


Miles' First Bath


Rowan's One-Week Weigh-In (7 pounds, 8.5 ounces)


Miles' One-Week Weigh-In (9 pounds, 13.5 ounces)

Although there's no doubt they each have a look all their own, I can still tell that they're brothers.

Rowan Sleeping

Miles Sleeping

I can't wait to see who Miles ends up looking like as he grows up!